


Gravity

by chezamanda



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Inception, Archery, Circus, F/M, Ficlet, Request Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-11 09:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1171299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chezamanda/pseuds/chezamanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Clint.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was her mission. She had to find him. Bring him back. </em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gravity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jo (mindsofiron)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindsofiron/gifts).



> If only I could make money off of this stuff. 
> 
> Requested by Jo for this song + couple + AU ficlet request meme - "Iris (Goo Goo Dolls) + clintasha + Inception AU."

A dull roar filled Natasha’s mind as she came to, her first breath brought in a mouthful of salt water that nearly choked her. She coughed and sputtered as she tried to find traction. The ground was pliant beneath her fingers and sucked them into its coolness. A beach. Her vision cleared and she could see white sand and greenish-blue water for miles around her on either side. Lungs and throat still burning, Natasha made her way onto the shore. Though her muscles felt tired as though she’d been swimming for hours, her body propelled itself forward.

Clint.

He was her mission. She had to find him. Bring him back. 

Natasha walked for hours and hours as the bright sun dried the seawater from her clothing and skin. Just over a hill, she came upon a circus encampment. The big top was just beyond the caravans and vehicles used to transport everything. It was a golden yellow tent with bright red, scalloped trim and flag that waved in the breeze at the very top of it. She looked around and saw nothing for miles. A strange place for a circus.

Clint.

It had to be his Limbo. She hurried down the sand-and-grass hill as fast as her feet could manage and over to the camp. No one stopped her as she wandered through the maze of trailers and performers. No one even looked at her. 

A rhythmic _thud thud thud_ drew her attention to one particular trailer. She followed the sound around to the back of the vehicle and that’s where she found him.

“Clint?”

If he had heard her, he didn’t acknowledge her presence. His eyes were trained on the round target yards away from him. The arrows that punctured the canvas bullseye were arranged neatly to form the letter ‘N.’

Something caught in her throat as she looked at the target. She swallowed hard around it. 

Focus. Finish the mission. Get Clint out. 

She knew her orders.

“Placement was a little off on the end,” he said, lowering his bow.

“Clint, you need to come with me,” she told him. “This place isn’t real. You need to wake up.”

He looked at her then. “I can’t go back,” he said. His voice was suddenly thick with emotion. “Not after what I’ve done out there.”

Brushing past her, Clint walked to the target and began collecting his arrows from it. He checked each tip methodically before returning them to the quiver strapped to his back. Annoyed, Natasha followed him and turned him roughly by the arm. She wasn’t leaving without him. If he wouldn’t go willingly, she was going to drag him out of Limbo herself. 

“Don’t you want to forget your past, Tasha? Everything we’ve done… we can start over here. We can forget,” he said - no, pleaded. The tremor in his voice made her ache.

“It’s not real, Clint.”

“It would feel real soon enough,” he said. He reached up to hold her face in his hands. The rough hewn leather of his shooting glove rasped against her cheek. She could see the unshed tears welling up in his eyes. “If we stay here, it can just be the two of us. Tasha… I'd give up everything just for you.”

A tear slid down her cheek. She pressed a kiss into the palm of Clint’s hand. The offer was incredibly tempting. They both had been through so much in their past. Forgetting everything would be… Natasha would do anything to forget the horrors of her past, but she knew deep down it would not make her happy to live like this. This wasn’t living. It was only a dream.

"Going back will make this real, Clint. This place? Limbo? It isn't real. I want you back, but I don't want something made out of our dreams.” She paused, bringing her hands up around his. “Please, Clint. Give this up for me. Come back with me."

Without another word, Clint led her through the encampment over to the big tent. The stands were empty, void of onlookers and smiling children with cotton candy in their hands. None of the other circus members were inside the tent with them. Completely alone. The smell of sawdust and the strange, lingering scent of sugar and fried dough filled her nose as they approached the center of the ring. Above them was the high wire strung between two tall wooden poles, each with a platform jutting out from one side. Her eyes followed the line of one pole and noted the metal rungs that ran from the ground all the way up to the platform.

They climbed to the very top and stepped onto the platform, a dizzying height above the ground below without a net to catch them. Clint turned to face Natasha, hesitation shown clear in his eyes. She touched his face and he leaned into her hand.

“Come back with me, Clint,” she whispered, pulling him in for a kiss.

As his strong arms wound around her body, Natasha could feel him moving. A sob of relief escaped her and then there was nothing beneath her feet. The only thing that she felt was the weight of Clint’s body.

They fell.


End file.
